2013 (Production)

2013-01-31 (Production)

English (Original)

Interviewee: Michael Apted
Interviewer: Betsy McLane

Professional production

United States

Director Michael Apted is interviewed by Betsy McLane in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California in 2013. The interview starts with his childhood upbringing and early television work and then moves to his documentary film career. Apted discusses the UP series as a whole after covering his other films between WORLD IN ACTION: “SEVEN UP!” (1964) and 56 UP (2012).

Documentary and feature film director Michael Apted is interviewed by Betsy McLane in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California on January 31, 2013. Apted describes his childhood in post-World War II London and speaks about his time studying law at Cambridge University. After graduating, he explains how he started an internship at Granada Television, researching for the episode “Seven Up!” for WORLD IN ACTION, which would later establish the foundation of the UP series. Apted compares his directing process for fiction and nonfiction films, speaking from the vantage point of a distinguished career within both mediums. He recounts making music-related films STARDUST (1974) and COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER (1980), and his shift to the documentary medium with BRING ON THE NIGHT (1985) and THE LONG WAY HOME (1989). Apted draws parallels between working with Sting and Boris Grebenshchikov in these documentaries, watching both musicians confront cultural tensions with their band members. Apted gleefully recaps his longtime feud with Roger Ebert, now a friend, over Ebert’s mistaken assumption that an unexpected group of tourists appearing at a Sting rehearsal was a staged scene. He discusses positioning himself politically for INCIDENT AT OGLALA (1992) and MOVING THE MOUNTAIN (1994) and explains why he largely adopted the viewpoint of the American Indian Movement while covering Leonard Peltier’s trial in OGLALA. Apted espouses his view that documentaries should provide balance to dominant perspectives on an issue, justifying his advocacy for a new trial for Peltier since his side of the story was largely ignored by the media. The last third of the interview covers Apted’s work on the documentary series UP. He discusses the development of the project, his shifting working relationship with the subjects of the films over the years, the style of the films, and the reception of the series. Other topics covered in the interview are Apted’s role in the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and the expanding importance of the documentary art form today.

Michael Apted (1941-2021) was a British film and television director known for the innovative feature documentary series UP and a diverse range of topical films. After studying law at Cambridge, he joined Granada Television through a six-month apprenticeship program. His work as a researcher on WORLD IN ACTION later led the development of the episode “Seven Up” into a series of documentaries which followed 14 individuals from age 7 to 56 over nine films. Apted’s films often centered on strong female protagonists: country singer Loretta Lynn (COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER, 1980), naturalist Dian Fossey (GORILLAS IN THE MIST, 1988), and Agatha Christie (AGATHA, 1979). His fiction film ENOUGH (2002) starred Jennifer Lopez as a survivor of domestic assault. He also covered topics surrounding the American Indian Movement (INCIDENT AT OGLALA, 1992; THUNDERHEART, 1992), the 1989 massacre at Beijing's Tiananmen Square (MOVING THE MOUNTAIN, 1994) and the Soviet Union (GORKY PARK, 1983; THE LONG WAY HOME, 1989). He received a Grammy for Best Music Video, Long Form for BRING ON THE NIGHT (1985) which chronicled Sting preparing for his first solo concert. Apted received lifetime achievement awards from the Directors Guild of America, Camerimage, and the International Documentary Association. He served as president of the Directors Guild of America from 2003-2009.

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